Draft-arm and underframe construction for cars.



Patented Sept. 24, 19H5 2 SHEETS-Sgen l,

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. IB. 19|?.

1. M. COLEMAN a K. F. NYsTRoM.

DHAFI ARM AND UNDERFRAME CONSTRUCTION FOR CARS.

l. M. COLEMAN L K. F. NYSTHOM. DBAFI ARM AND UNDERFRAME CONSTRUCTION FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I8. 19|?.

intntedept. 24, 1918.

2 SHEETSHSHEET 2.

.Q /-\\w mw uw@ mw www .MIIIINIHJEIH I l I 4 l I I i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. COLEMAN ANDKARL F. NYSTBOM, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

DRAFT-ABM A ND UNDERFRAME CONSTRUCTION FOR CASES.

Application led September 18, 1917.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we= JAMES M. COLEMAN, a citizen of the United States, and KARL F. Nrsinonr, a subject of the King of Sweden, both residents of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in DraftArm and UnderframeConstruction for Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in draft arms for freight cars, and the object of the invention is to provide a device ap. plicable equally Well to new `constructions and as a repair to existing cars.

A further object is to provide a draft arm which extends continuously through the body bolsters of the car= so that the draft arms at opposite ends of the car may be connected up to make' a -continuousrigid member from one endof the car to the other.

W'ooden freightcars as constructed in the past were provided with a number of longitudinal frame timbers or sills to which the body holsters were connected. Draft arms or draft timbers were then bolted underneath the longitudinal timbers extending from the ends of the car to the body bolsters. In a very short time, owing to the frequent sudden stresses of stopping and. starting, and to the draft stress, these bolts and timbers became loose and the car was rendered unserviceable. Efforts were made to repair the damage by inserting metallic draft arms which overlapped the longitudinal timbers and were bolted thereto. order to secure a longer bearing, these metallic draft arms were offset so as topass above the body bolsters. To stiften the car, metallic members forming center sills were frequently connected between the draft arms. At first sight, it would appear that such an arrangement would be satisfactory, but in practice, it has been demonstrated that there is one very grave fault, namely, the offsets in this sti'ening construction Where it passes overthe body holsters. The draft line is below the longitudinal timbers of a car, and therefore this offset carries the stiening construction out of the draft line, so that considerable leverage is exerted on the draft arms where they are offset and fracture soon occurs,

From a consideration of these facts, We

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. 24, 1918.

Serial No, 191,956.

have come to the conclusion that this diiculty may be overcome if a solid metallic construction is provided which extends through the! body holsters, so that the draft line will lie Within the stiffening member throughout the entire length of the car.

The st-ructure expressing the conclusionk `pass the bolster. A filler is provided `which occupies the space between the compression and tension members of thc bolster and connects at its cndswviththe depending ortionsI of the draft members. This V when in place is permanently connected to the draft member and body bolster' in such a Way that the member becomes continuous and rigid through the bolster and the line ofvdraft passes through this filler. lVhen the draft arms at each end of a car are connected by metal beams, it will be readily seen that a member is formed extending continuously from end to end of the car within which the line of draft is completely contained.

In the drawings which illustrate the inventionz- Figure 1 is a side .elevation of a draft arm,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 1f-4, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the underframe of a car shoiving the present invention applied thereto.

Referring more particularly to the drawi rigs, 11 designates a pair of castings which form thc draft arm. These castings are exactly similar except that they are right and left hand, and each comprises a body portion 12 adapted to lie under the longitudinal members 13 of a car underframe, and a. ange 14 adapted to lie alongside and be secured to the longitudinal members 1 3 of the car underframe. Flanges l5 are connected to the body 12 and depend below the frame members 13. These latter lianges or ller through which plates 15 are formed to receive the draft gear and project at. their outer ends beyond the flanges 14 so as to form supports 1G for the end sill of a ear. flanges 1t may be provided with lateral projections 17 against which the inner` surfaces ofthe end sills will abut. These proJections may be provided with apertures 18 tension stays may pass for securemcn't lio lhe end lsills. A laterally projecting bracket l!) may be provided on each flange 14 over the body bolster 20, for the support -of the stays. The depending'part 15 of ea'ch draft member is formed with a eut-away portion 21 extending some distance on each side of the body bolster. The body portion 12 is slightly offset where it asses over the bolster`- as clearly shown in gig. 1, and the adjacent ends o f the plate 15 are suitably flanged as at 22.

A filler casting, designated 23, is provided to completely fill the cut-away portion of the plate 15 and to fitl tight-ly between the upper and lower members of the bolster, and against the oflset portion `of the body 12. This filler is provided with suitable flanges 24, by means of which it may be riveted to the flanges 22 of the late 15, to the body 12 and upper member of) the bolster, and to .the lower member of the bolster. This fil-ler may be a separate member for each member 11, or r'na-y be a single member connecting the members 11, as shown. lVhen the member 23 connects the members 11, it may be provided 1n the space between the members 11 with a bearing 25 for the center pin, but when the member 23 iscon fined to a single draft memp ber 11, the bearing for the center pin will be that which is already in the bolster. In any case, the fillers 23 act as spacers between the tension and compression members of the bolster. The construction may be greatly strengthened by the addition of a plate 26 secured to the lower flanges of the plate 15 and to the lower flanges of the filler, so as to traverse the opening 2]. in each draft member. The plate 26 may extend from one draft member to the other, as shown, or may be merely a narrow strip riveted to cach in'- dividual draft member. The question as to whether the filler 23 and plate 2G extend across the space between the draft members or not depends largely on the construction of the car to which the apparatus is applied.

The inner ends of the draft members may be provided with holesi27 through which rivets may pass to secure members 28 ex tending longitudinally of the car and connecting the dra-ft members at opposite ends thereof, as shown in Fig. 5. These members are preferably disposed symmetrically on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line in the well known manner, and may be of any suitable form, such as channels, I-beams, plate girders or even pressed steel members The outer ends of the' of the bath-lub type. The longitudinal siill'- eningr members 2S may be entirely below the longitudinal timbers of the car underframe, or if of the built-up type may have portions extending alongside of and secured to the timbers in I'be .same marmer as the draft arms. lVhen these. longitudinal members are in position, it \\'ill be. obvious that the line ol. dra l't, designated 22.*, liesI enlirely within the continuous rigid metallic, structure from end to end olf the car.

ln use, this continuous member from end lo end of the car containing the line of draft is of great importance and a train made up of cars of this character may be likened to a string of beads. The string-rr takes all the load andthe individual beads have to support no more than the pressure applied to each. A train of cars built according to the construction outlined at the commencement of this specification may be likened to the same beads held together by being connected to one another without. any continuous string. The straight line connection which results from this construction extending from end to end of a car or train is that best calculated to withstand tension and compression stresses, and relieves the car body and underfralne of all these stresses. The solid filler in the offset portion of the draft members relieves the offset portion of all tendency to fracture under the application of. either compression or tension stresses. The apiiaralus is inexpensive and may be easily and quichly inserted in existing cars, thereinl greatly lnolonging the life of wooden cars, 'and rendering them usable in trains made up of the larger and heavier metal or metal frame cars of more recent design.

It will be understood not limited to the particular design of draft arm shown, as this may be varied as desired In fact, the design of draft arm forms nc part of the invention, except in so far as :il is concerned with provision for inserting and securingr the filler member, or its equivalent, which passes through the bolster While the draft arm has been shown as eX- tending beyond the bolster with an offsei portion and a separate filler piece occupying the recess formed by the. offset, it will br understood that in its broadest sense, the in vention is not limited to this except by con siderations of adaptability to existing car de signs. Therefore, from at least a theoretica standpoint, the same result may be produce( if' the draft arm is formed in two piece.- adapted to be secured together, and one o these parts has a. portion which project through the bolster and is the equivalent o. the filler. It. will also be understoodtha the use of a draft arm with a ller passing through the bolster is not limited to use Wit] a longitudinal connecting member under thI that the invention is central portion` of the car, as the draft arms may be used without such a member. l n either case, the extension of the draft arm through and past the bolster will give the saine distribution of stress.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is l. A draft arm comprising a pair of similar parts, each having a recess with oifset portions bridging said recesses, a filler in the recesses and extending from one part to the other, a bolster composed of upper and lower members between which the lille-r e);` tends, said filler being connected to the parts on opposite sides of the recesses, substantially as described.

2. A draft arm comprising a body reeessed intermediate of its length, a bolster passing through said recess and composed of upper and lower portions, and a lillcr having laterally turned end flanges, the said dra ft arm having flanges extending vertically and laterally along the margins of the recess and meansI for securing the. flanges ol. the body and the filler together, said filler passing between the upper and lower portions of the bolster, substantially as described.

3. In combination, a draft arm having a recess intermediate of its length, a bolster comprising upper and lower members and a ller in the recess and secured to the draft arm along its top and end portions, said filler having upper and lower recesses to receive the upper and lower members of the bolster, substantially as described.

4.-. A draft arm composed of two parts, having upper vertical flanges and lower vertical webs spaced closer together than the upper flanges, with l'iorizontal body portions extending inwardly from the upper vertical flanges to and connecting with the upper ends of the lower webs, each oit' said parts having a` recess in its lower vertical web and reinforcements on the upper flanges above said recesses, a body bolster passing through the recesses and filler means in the recesses se* cured to the lower vertical webs and engaging the said bolster substantially as described.

5. The combination with a bolster of a draft arm, comprising a body, flanged plates depending therefron'i in spaced relation and forming a passage for the. bolster, a flanged liller inserted through the bolster having recesses therein for the recciition of the bolster members, and a member connecting said depemling plaies below the bolster and filler and secured to the bolster and liller, said liller being secured to the upper and lower bolster members, to the body of the draft arm, and at its ends to the ends of the depending plates.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto sel:

our hands.

J AMES M. COLEMAN. KARL F. NYSTROM. 

